Brasserie Beck visit, 11.8.07

1. La Binchoise-Reserve (9.0% a.b.v., light amber/gold in color)
This beer was described by Brasserie Beck as an "artisanal beer", with flavor characteristics of apricot and butterscotch. The combination was too intriguing to me, so it was the first one I ordered on my first trip to the Beck. The apricot flavor is very prominent, and the butterscotch is much more subtle and hidden in the finish, which was moderately long. I would have liked to taste more of a creamy butterscotch richness and sweetness. It tasted a bit like wheat to me too, in the way a mediocre hefeweizen tastes like wheat. I enjoyed it very much, and it is unique and worth trying, but it isn't a top tier beer. 6/10.

2. Malheur 10 Triple (10.0% a.b.v., golden)
A very good Belgian golden tripel, which is unequivocally my favorite style. This is apparently too rare or too new a beer for Brasserie Beck to have any appropriate and Malheur-labeled glasses; it was served to me in a standard Brasserie Beck glass, similar in shape to a Delirium Tremens glass. [An aside - Belgian golden ales tend to be served in a wide glass, but one that narrows at the mouth slightly, so that the beer doesn't open up too much, but instead has a more concentrated aroma; the golden ales don't have as strong an aroma as their darker cousins.] I thought it was very good, comparable to Westmalle's Tripel or New Belgium's Tripel - the 'Fat Tire' brewery, whose Tripel is outstanding. Medium finish, not spectacular. A bottom of the top tier beer. 8/10.

Taste: Brasserie Des Rocs Tripple (10.0% a.b.v., medium brown)
I only had a sip of this; one of my companions ordered it. I believe I've had it before, years ago, but might have had a different Des Rocs beer. Anyway, this beer is amazing. Complex flavor, great and long finish, like Chimay's Blue in style but a full notch better. Almost as good as Rochefort 10, my single favorite Trappist (and one of the few I would give a perfect 10 to). Chestnuts and similar roasted flavors more than anything else. Try it, please. 9/10.